Ghislaine Maxwell, associate of Jeffrey Epstein, was recently convicted of being a sex predator. While her behavior is criminal and abhorrent, I couldn’t help but reminisce about her father.
Back in the late 1980s, I worked for Macmillan Book Clubs, Inc. in the Macmillan building on 3rd Avenue in midtown Manhattan.
I worked on the 10th floor. During my time there, the company was purchased by Robert Maxwell, who was described as a very wealthy English businessman. After his purchase of the company, he commandeered the whole top floor. Rumor had it that it was going to be his penthouse apartment.
I remember sneaking up there with a coworker to see what was being done to the space. All I recall is a gutted floor where renovation hadn’t started. Then, we heard that Robert Maxwell disappeared while out on a yacht. It was assumed by many that he killed himself.
Soon after, I left the company for another job, and lost track of Macmillan for a long time. When I decided to check on its fate, I learned that it didn’t exist anymore, except for the divisions that were absorbed by other publishers.
Years later, I walked by my old building. It was sad to see that it no longer bore the Macmillan name in big gold letters. It was sadder to think of the man who destroyed the company. And now his daughter has destroyed young girls’ lives. Destruction must be in their genes.
pretzelsandicecream 